A Letter to the Government of Bangladesh, the National Unity Government of Myanmar, and Humanitarian Donor Countries, Concerning the Education of Rohingya Refugee Children in the Camps in Cox’s Bazar

Dear the Government of Bangladesh, the National Unity Government of Myanmar, and all our Humanitarian Donor Countries,

As a NGO committed to advocating for the rights of the Rohingya, we write to you now in order to urge you to ensure equal and quality education for Rohingya children in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Every child has the right to an education. Education is a lifeline for refugee children, especially persecuted minorities like the Rohingya as their right to an education was already violated as a result of their long-term persecution. Approximately 410,000 Rohingya children have been caught up in yet another education crisis in the camps during the last five years. Owing to the late provision of education, the offer of only informal and non-certified education, an 18-month-long closure of the learning centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the shutdown of private centers, amongst many other debilitating factors, these last five years have led to an enormous learning loss in the Rohingya community.

The Rohingya community is satisfied with the recent start of the Myanmar Curriculum scale-up in the camps. However, they are still deeply concerned about the current situation. The Rohingya community’s voices in the report provide key evidence as to the reality in the camps in Cox’s Bazar.

The most urgent issue which the community is facing is their education lacking certification. Despite the recent introduction of the Myanmar curriculum, the current education system in the camps does not provide any certificate to Rohingya students after completion of their studies. The Rohingya community are deeply concerned that their students may have to re-start their education from Grade 1 due to lack of recognition, or give up educational opportunities in other countries, as they have no certificate as proof of their studies. The community is currently questioning the worth of uncertified education within the camps, as it is unrecognized and unofficial.

In addition, the quality of the education on offer is a matter of great concern. Even though the education has been provided as part of an emergency response, the quality of the education has been overlooked. Rohingya teachers say that camp learning centers have faced a shortage of qualified teachers for a long time. Following the RRRC’s order to reduce the incentive offered to qualified Rohingyas down to 10,000 Taka per month last year, it has dramatically increased how difficult it is to recruit qualified teachers. This shortage has greatly affected the quality of the classes offered within the camps.

A further significant issue is the plight faced by female students in particular when attempting to access education within the camps. Many gender-related barriers exist which are proving limiting to them. A shortage of separate learning spaces and qualified female teachers has proved to be especially damaging as it has reduced their access to education. As a result, female students aged 12 and above are most likely to drop out of their education due to religious and cultural factors.

Last but not least, international funding has fallen short of the demand required to provide quality education in the camps. According to the UNOCHA services, the education sector only acquired funding for 16.5% of its necessary spending in 2020 and 28.8% in 2021 respectively. The funding deficit was heavily exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This significant gap in funding has undoubtedly detrimentally affected the educational environment in the camps, with little money to invest in worthwhile resources.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact on Refugees have called for global action to ensure an equal and quality education for refugee children. In line with these international commitments, we strongly urge you to make the following recommendation. Doing so will ensure the continuous improvement of education planning and delivery for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh, in order that they might rebuild their future for themselves, and the wider Rohingya community.

The government of Bangladesh, including the Ministry of Education and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, must:
o Ensure that Rohingya children receive an official certificate upon completion of their education through bilateral agreement with the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar.
o Guarantee that more qualified teachers are recruited by agreeing to pay them at least 20,000 Taka per month.
o Revoke its ban on Rohingya-run private centers, and authorize them as an alternative form of education in order to effectively fill the education gap.

The National Unity Government of Myanmar, including the Ministry of Education, must:
o Negotiate with the government of Bangladesh to make sure that Rohingya children receive an official certificate upon completion of their education in the camps.

The International Community and Humanitarian Donor Countries must:
o Keep their pledge to increase their timely, adequate, and needs-driven financing to provide Rohingya with equal and quality education in the spirit of responsible sharing.
o Encourage the government of Bangladesh and the NUG to enter immediate and effective negotiation in order to reach an agreement on certification issues.

We thank you for your leadership and actions to support Rohingya refugee children and we look forward to working with you in order to further ensure an equal and quality education for Rohingya refugee children in the camps.

Sincerely,
Rohingya Human Rights Center